1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate to cooling systems or refrigeration for computing systems. More particularly, the present invention relate to cooling systems with a unique structure to deliver cooling effect in highly efficient way to computing systems.
2. Background Information
Personal computers today mainly use fans that blow air from the outside environment into the computer case and past the electronic components such as the Central Processing Unit (CPU), Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), and motherboard. Often the CPU and GPUs are connected to heat sinks to absorb the heat from these components; however air is still used to remove the heat from the heat sinks. In the commercial arena, most of the small business don't use any specific means to cool down their server room beside their (pre-)existing air conditioning systems, which may provide a fixed (e.g., 77 F) temperature for the room, without any other method to verify that this temperature is constant. Often the same air conditioning system used for the server room is the exact same one used to cool down the offices nearby, the cost to install a dedicated cooling system just for the servers in a small business is far too expensive to install and operate. In larger businesses, companies spend a great deal of money on special infrastructure, such as large air conditioning units and architecture, and on energy costs, to properly cool their server computers, without solving the problems encountered by existing technology.
With existing technology, it is commonly known that cooling computers and servers is a difficult and inefficient task for multiple reasons. The first issue is that current technology uses air conditioning that cools the entire room in order to cool very small processors and electronic components within the computer, resulting in wasted energy. Existing technology also does not change the cooling capacity of the air conditioning based on the load of the computer, further wasting energy. Existing technology uses air to cool the electronic components, which is an inefficient method of heat transfer. Also, by blowing air through the computer, the electronic components are exposed to dust, moisture, and static, which are major causes of computer failure.
Water cooling is another existing technology that is used occasionally in higher end personal computers, and sometimes in commercial computers. In water cooling, water is piped into the computer through rigid or flexible tubing, and passed through solid metal cooling blocks attached to the hot electronic components. The water removes the heat from the blocks and is typically piped out of the computer into a radiator and fan apparatus, which removes the heat from the water, and the cycle is then repeated. While water cooling is more efficient than air cooling, it presents other problems. First, if the electronics are directly exposed to water, it will most likely cause short circuit and permanent damage. Second, the water cannot be cooled to temperatures lower than the dew point, or else it will cause condensation on the cooling blocks and again expose the electronics to water and potential permanent damage.
Before one or more embodiments of the present teachings are described in detail, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the present teachings are not limited in their application to the details of construction, the arrangements of components, and the arrangement of steps set forth in the following detailed description or illustrated in the drawings. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.